We Go Way Back
by SakuraConsoles
Summary: A story about Haruka and Makoto's Elementary School years and how two boys who hardly knew each other, grew up to have an increasingly strong friendship.
1. Chapter 1

"I thought I left it here. Where is it?!"

"Makoto sweetie come on, you're going to be late."

"But mama I can't find it!"

Six year old Makoto was running around the house in a panic. Today was his first day of elementary school, which he had been looking forward to for several months now. Since he was an only child, he didn't tend to have much company his own age, so when his parents told him he would be meeting lots of kids his age today, to say he was delighted would be an understatement. But there was just one problem.

"Find what?" his mother asked while she watched him crawl almost completely under his bed tiny legs wiggling up and down as he tried to get himself further under the bed. She had to step over various toys and clothes that had been scattered all over the floor during his search. She inwardly sighed to herself, she knew exactly who would end up having to clean this mess up, and it wasn't Makoto. "What is it you're looking for?"

"My hat! I can't go to school without it and I don't know where it is!" The hat was part of the uniform which Makoto was required to wear for elementary school, only he loved it so much that as soon as his parents bought it he wore it almost everyday. Although it clashed with the rest of his uniform (which consisted of the tangerine coloured hat, a pale blue shirt and brown shorts) Makoto absolutely adored it. So it was typical that the day he needed to wear it, he couldn't find it anywhere. Just when Makoto looked like he was about to give up, he heard the sound of his mother giggling quietly.

"Ah, mama what's funny?" he asked, shuffling out from under his bed, but her laughter had taken over to the point she couldn't speak. Instead, she lowered her hand to his head and pulled off the orange material that had been on his head the whole time.

Makoto's face ended up a bright shade of pink. "I..I knew that. I was just pretending I lost it."

"Of course you were," and she smiled that sweet smile she always had. It was infectious and Makoto found himself smiling back, forgetting his little embarrassing moment as he wrapped his little arms around her in a hug. Completely unaware that he had even arrived upstairs, Makoto's father wraps his larger arms around the pair of them.

"So this is where you two have been hiding. I was wondering what was going on up here. One minute you were flying around the house, the next minute, nothing. Are you ready for your big day now Makoto?"

"Yes! Come on come on! Mama! Papa! Let's go!" And with that, Makoto dashed downstairs. _The sooner we leave the sooner we get there._ _The sooner_ _I can meet the other kids,_ he thought to himself. His parents were left hugging in their son's room and they couldn't help but smile.

"Well, we best not keep him waiting much longer." Mr Tachibana chimed whilst helping his wife to her feet.

"He's certainly full of energy isn't he?"

"Yeah. He's growing up so fast too. And to think we'll be having another one soon." he spoke gently whilst rubbing his wife's stomach fondly. They had found out a few months ago that Mrs Tachibana was pregnant again, much to the delight of both of them. It would be a lie to say they weren't nervous, after all, no matter how many children someone can have, they can never be fully prepared. "Do you think we'll be okay with another child? Another ball of energy in the house?"

"Of course we will, don't worry." Their conversation was short lived when they heard a familiar voice wondering why they hadn't come downstairs yet, they needed to leave now. Looking at her watch, Mrs Tachibana noticed that her son was right, arriving to school to late on the first day never looked good.

* * *

><p>Not too far away from the Tachibana household, another child was getting ready for his first day at Iwatobi Elementary. Although he appeared relaxed about the situation, this child was exceedingly more nervous about meeting the other children. Haruka had just found his pencil case and stuffed it into his school bag, there wasn't anything in particular that they needed to take to school, since lunch and stationary was provided for them, but Haruka decided he wanted to take his sketchbook and pencils, since they would have some free time. He wasn't particularly attached of the idea of being in a room with so many other kids, but perhaps there was somewhere he could sit by himself and draw for a while.<p>

The Nanase family was always an independent one as they never socialised that much. It's not that they were were rude and refused to talk to others, they just had a quiet nature, only speaking when they were spoken to. Haruka had inherited this quiet nature and the idea of seeing so many other kids, that would want to talk and most likely ask loads of random questions about him, made Haruka want to crawl back into bed 'sick'. His mother's steps could be heard getting closer and closer until she reached his bedroom door.

"Are you ready Haruka? Aww, you look so cute in your little uniform."

"..."

_I look ridiculous,_ Haruka thought to himself. _Why do we have to wear this anyway? This is stupid. And dad better not get the camera out, with a bit of luck maybe he lost it._

"Honey, why don't you get the camera? We should get a photo of Haruka on his first day of school."

"Already got it. I made sure I had it ready for today."

_Wishful thinking. _

With the camera lens pointing towards him, Haruka made sure to put considerably more effort into his glare. He didn't think the photo taking process would take so long, but his parents insisted on getting several shots of their son, explaining that they wanted to give some to his grandmother since they knew she would love to have some. At the mention of his grandmother, his facial expression has softened slightly. _That's right, she's coming home tomorrow._ After having a fall in the house she had been taken to hospital to make sure she was okay. To the family's relief she was fine, just a sprained ankle, but because she struggled to walk after the fall, they wanted her to be checked just in case. She was due to come home tomorrow and Haruka couldn't wait.

Once the eternal process was over, Haruka's father handed the camera to his wife and grabbed his briefcase before quickly ruffling his son's hair. He looked to his son sadly, the younger boy expecting him to walk him to school as well.

"I'm sorry but I can't take you to school today Haruka. I would have liked to see you off on your first day but daddy's buy with work. I'm hoping to take some time off soon, it's been a long time since we have been able to spend time as a family." His eyes eventually lock on to his wife's. She gives him a small smile. "I should hopefully be home before you get back so you can tell me all about it. Have a good day son."

"You too Dad." Haruka muttered and cast his eyes downwards, a little disappointed at his father having to work, but realised it couldn't be helped and nodded. Mr Nanase gave his son a small smile before planting a kiss on both his and his wife's cheeks, making his way to the train station. Shortly after checking Haruka had everything that he was going to need, which wasn't a lot, Mrs Nanase took her son's hand in hers and began the walk to Iwatobi Elementary.

* * *

><p>The walk to Iwatobi Elementary takes roughly 10-15 minutes, but much longer when a smaller pair of feet were walking too. Haruka was still holding his mother's hand and he held his hat in the other. As soon as he left the house the hat came straight off, he was not going to wear it any longer than he needed to. He'll just put it back on when he gets there. His mother didn't object, in fact she appeared to have her head in the clouds.<p>

Haruka glanced up towards her, noticing she was spacing out. He figured it was because his father wasn't coming as well; they hadn't seen very much of him recently since he was constantly busy with work, for the majority of the day it was just Haruka, his mother and his grandmother. And with his grandmother in hospital for a few days, the Nanase house was very quiet. Squeezing his mothers hand slightly, Haruka inspects his surroundings. He was looking at everything curiously, as this area was completely new to him. Usually his mother would walk him into town to go grocery shopping, or to the little park just outside their house, but they had never gone this route before. As far as Haruka could remember, this was the first time he had been by the beach.

And he definitely had not seen so much water in one place before.

The sky had taken on a bright but peaceful blue which matched the colour of the ocean nearby, the sand they walked past was also a soft golden colour. He hadn't even realised that his feet came to a halt as he gazed out at the water. Noticing the sudden lack of movement from her son, Mrs Nanase turned around to see Haruka watching the ocean waves gently washing onto the shore. She couldn't help but smile at him, his eyes widening at the sound of the waves, mouth slightly open in awe. _You really like the water don't you Haruka? _

Recently Mrs Nanase had started to notice her son had a fascination with anything relating to water. When Haruka was just a toddler, he never objected to a bath, like many children often did. In fact, he was always reminding her about them, at least three times a day he pulled her to the bathroom, pointing at the large tub in front of them. And he could sit in the bath for hours (which had concerned her many times when it was unusually quiet in the bathroom). It didn't appear that Haruka was going to move from his spot and after looking at her watch, Mrs Nanase needed to remind him why they were here in the first place. She couldn't help but think if she didn't do anything, he would stare at the ocean forever. This was supposed to be the quicker path to the school but if it meant Haruka was going to stare at the water every morning, then it was definitely not going to be.

"Not today Haruka, maybe another time okay? You have school remember?" She gently tugged his hand and continued walking, Haruka did the same but kept his eyes on the ocean. He continued admiring the waves way until he heard voice a few metres away.

"Makoto dear we aren't near the water so there's no need to worry."

"But I can still see it, it looks dangerous."

"It's all the way over there so it's okay. I know, why don't you walk this side of me? That way you will be further away from the water."

"Okay.."

Ahead of him Haruka could see a boy who must have been about his age, walking round to the other side of a lady who he guessed was his mother. She was much taller than Haruka's own mother and he always thought she was pretty tall. The other boy was wearing the same silly clothes as he was, so that must mean that boy's going to the same school as him. The boy had brown hair but Haruka couldn't see much because of the hat. D_oes he like wearing that? How can anyone like this...thing,_ Haruka thought, looking back at his own in disgust, still hanging limply in his hand. _And why doesn't he like the water? It looks pretty._

"Oh it's Mrs Tachibana! It's been a while since I've seen her...and Haruka look! Makoto is going to the same elementary school as you."

_Makoto? That must be the boy's name.._Haruka thought as his mother picked up the pace slightly to catch up to the other two. After hearing sudden footsteps and somebody calling her name, Mrs Tachibana turned round to see Mrs Nanase accompanied by a little boy, all geared up for school but not looking especially happy about it. Soon enough both mothers were walking together with their sons.

"Good morning. It's lovely to see you again."

"Same to you. Wow Makoto has grown up so fast hasn't he? I remember when he was still learning to walk."

"He really has and now we can't get him to stay sat down, he's constantly running around the house. Haruka has grown up so much as well, he doesn't hide behind you anymore."

"He still does sometimes if we have guests but I think he's getting better. How is Mr Tachibana?"

"He's doing well, you just missed him actually. He was going to walk Makoto to school with me but got a call from one of the neighbours who had an accident."

"Oh dear, I hope they're okay. Haruka's father was supposed to be with us too but couldn't take the day off work."

As the two mothers chatted amongst themselves, Makoto and Haruka walked in silence. Since Haruka was holding his mother's left hand and Makoto was holding his mothers right, the two boys had ended up walking side by side, small steps synchronised unconsciously. Makoto watches Haruka the whole time they walk and when Haruka looked towards him, Makoto flashed a bright smile and waved in his direction.

"Hi!"

However, Haruka just looked away, keeping his gaze on the floor for the rest of the walk until they got to school. Makoto just smiled and kept looking ahead of him, elementary school now in sight.

To both Makoto and Haruka, the school was huge. There were three floors to the building surrounded by a silver gate, which had started to rust slightly on some of the bars. Makoto felt the grip of his mothers hand loosen, as did Haruka, his mother took the hat from his hand and placed it back on his head, erupting a small groan from the black haired boy. Mrs Tachibana beamed at the two children in front of her.

"Here we are. Makoto, Haruka, have a good first day. If you just go through those double doors over there.." she lowered down to their height and pointed at the doors located on the other side of the gates "...Just through there, there's a list with everyone's names, the class they are in and where the classroom is. There will be a couple of teachers there waiting just tell them your name and they'll help you find out what class you're in."

"Okay mama!" Makoto beamed and jumped in front of Haruka "This will be fun!" But the other boy didn't appear to think so, keeping his gaze to the floor and gripping the orange strap on his bag. Mrs Tachibana raised an eyebrow at the black haired boy in concern and muttered to the lady next to her.

"Is Haruka okay? He doesn't look too happy."

"I think so, Haruka has always been shy so I'm guessing he's just nervous."

"Well knowing how things turn out, Haruka and Makoto might be in the same class, so at least he'll know somebody."

"Yeah, maybe. I've been telling him all week it's nothing to worry about, but I don't think it's helped." Mrs Nanase gave a soft smile to her son, who looked up for a second before staring back to the ground.

"I want to go home..."

Makoto was stood next to him confused. W_hy does he want to go home? This is going to be fun, maybe he just doesn't know that yet. _He looked up to his mother, hoping she would know what to do._ If he went home then he wouldn't come to school and if he didn't come to school he wouldn't be able to see the other children and make friends, and I bet he would make lots of friends. I bet he's really nice._

Mrs Tachibana pondered for a moment, trying to find the right words to say to the nervous child in front of her. "Haruka, it's okay, once you get in there you will enjoy yourself and you will find that there's no need to be nervous. Everyone is there to look after you so you can feel safe there okay? You and Makoto will be going in together, so you won't have to go in there alone." She had reduced her height so that Haruka was now the taller one and smiled sweetly to him. He didn't fully understand how that seemed to worked. He could only guess that it was simply something that mothers knew, because he felt himself feel somewhat relaxed.

"Haru-chan, let's go in together like mama said!"

Haruka perked up and looked to the other boy who had suddenly spoken up. _It's not like I have a choice anyway. And this Makoto doesn't seem that bad I guess.._

"..Yeah.."

Both mothers glanced to each other, relieved at the sight, it wasn't enjoyable for either of them to see a child so upset about their first day of school. After a quick kiss to their sons, Haruka's and Makoto's mother waved goodbye to the children but stayed put until they saw the boys turn around and wave back, before two small heads disappeared through the school doors.


	2. Chapter 2

It turned out that the elementary school was much bigger inside than it had originally appeared outside. The corridors were lit up with a variety of notices and drawings that other children had done over many years. Children would often walk through the corridors, showing their friends the work they had produced and to each other it would have been a masterpiece (to the teachers it was more like blob after blob of random colour, but they could tell the children had fun creating them and had put in a lot of effort so they never had the heart to take them down). Children of ages differing from first grade all the way up to sixth grade had flooded the corridors, in hopes of finding out what class they were in and if they were in the same as any of their friends. Half of them were wearing the Elementary uniform and the other half appeared to be wearing their own casual clothes, they were only required to wear a uniform for the first 3 years of school, for the remaining three years they could wear whatever they wanted. When Haruka asked why he only needed to wear the uniform for half of the time, his parents weren't too sure themselves, all they knew was that it was part of the school rules (perhaps it was to keep an eye on the younger students and make sure they weren't by themselves doing something dangerous, they had considered). All Haruka could think about was how he wanted the first three years to hurry up so he could get out of his stupid clothes.

Makoto made sure to stay as close to Haruka as possible so the other didn't feel too scared. I_ wonder what class Haru-chan is in? Maybe we are in the same class! I hope so!_ Despite they had only met for all of a few minutes, Makoto had already classed Haruka as his friend, he found himself smiling at the dark haired boy every time Haruka turned to look at him. _He doesn't talk very much, but I just know that he's nice, he has to be. Maybe he'll start talking more when he gets to know people._ Makoto tried to sneak another glance at Haruka, hoping to start a conversation, but Haruka looked to be daydreaming, still keeping his eyes to the ground and watching his own two feet.

"It would be great to be friends with some of the older kids as well? Do you think they'll like us? I wonder when we have lunch? I can't wait to have some food here! I bet it's yummy. Hey Haru-chan, do you think we will be in the same class?"

Haruka had tuned out of the one-sided conversation early on and instead just watched absent-mindedly as Makoto poured out countless questions and getting distracted by waving to the other children that passed by, sometimes they waved back but for the most part they just ignored him. _Makoto likes to talk a lot and he doesn't seem to mind the large crowds..how does it not bother him?_ Haruka thought to himself, coincidentally hopping closer towards Makoto once the gap between them started to increase.

"Coming through!"

One of the older boys had darted between Haruka and Makoto, accidentally knocking the first graders over. It was apparent that some children enjoyed rushing around everywhere, judging by the teacher's sudden call of 'Keiichi, how many times have I told you not to run through the corridors?' as he dashed right past her. Makoto hadn't realised that he had ended up on his backside after the trip, however he had noticed when his hat fell off, sliding a few metres along the floor. Standing upright again and adjusting the hat back onto his head with a satisfactory smile, Makoto asked Haruka if he was okay. Well, he would have, if Haruka was there. The brown haired boy looked frantically, but Haruka wasn't in sight, only swarms of nameless faces chatting and laughing amongst themselves. At some point in his fall, even more children had flooded the school halls; Makoto didn't even think it was possible for there to be so many kids in one place at one time. He would have wanted nothing more than to introduce himself to everyone, had Haruka not suddenly gone missing. They would have to wait for now.

"Haru-chan? Where are you?"

* * *

><p>Haruka had also been knocked by the fifth grader, falling onto his front. He managed to put his hands out in reflex so they took most of the impact. That didn't put him at much ease though. He had been trying to avoid colliding with any more children that might have decided to fly out of nowhere, so he had swerved between everyone until he was out of harms way. His eyes widened when he realised the sudden lack of questions from Makoto. Haruka found himself spinning round several times in hopes to find the other boy, but with no success, the large crowd of children (and the spinning) making him feel dizzy.<p>

"..Makoto? Makoto?!"

He wanted to call out louder, but being the shy boy he was, struggled to manage more than a whisper; it shouldn't have come to a surprise when nobody responded to him. Haruka could feel the nerves from just moments ago returning quickly, far too many people making their way through the halls. He felt like he was still spinning around searching for Makoto, but he hadn't moved an inch. Without thinking, Haruka started running (despite witnessing first hand why children shouldn't run in the corridors) to the nearest toilets he could find. He could hide in there and hope that everyone would disappear soon. As Haruka wasn't used to areas with large numbers of people, every time he went anywhere in Iwatobi it was usually fairly quiet and when it was busy he was always with either his mother or grandma, who would hold his hand. To suddenly go to elementary school where there was more than enough people, it was overwhelming to the six year old. Haruka sat down in the corner of the room and waited for the dizziness to stop (suddenly deciding to run didn't do the boy any favours) and pulled out his sketchbook, children's chatter still echoing from outside, and started scribbling anything that came to mind.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile Makoto was still searching for his missing friend, after a few minutes the crowd had began to die down. In that case it should have been much easier to find Haruka, but after walking more than he thinks he has ever done in his short life, Makoto realised he wasn't going to be able to find Haruka on his own. He spotted a couple of girls walking towards him. <em>Maybe they know where Haru-chan is<em>, Makoto thought, bright round eyes brimming with hope. He leaped in front of them hoping to catch their attention. It certainly did. After all, it's difficult to miss a six year old in a bright orange hat waving his arms around.

"Have any of you seen Haru-chan?"

The girls exchanged puzzled looks, who was 'Haru-chan'? Was he the same age as this child? An older brother?

"I'm sorry, who are you talking about?"

"Haru-chan, he was with me a minute ago. A boy ran into us and we fell over and I looked and Haru-chan was gone and I can't find him. I think he's lost." That didn't really help the girls to identify the missing child Makoto was talking about, after apologising to Makoto they carried on walking to class, the corridors empty once the girls turned the corner to find their classroom.

"Haru-chan! Haru-chan!"

* * *

><p>One of the the teachers had sighed to herself, twirling her chestnut coloured hair with her fingers, she had only started working at the Elementary school a few months ago and had yet to experience the 'first day' madness, once all the children had found their classrooms, she paced the corridors, hoping to get a few minutes peace before seeing to her own class. For a moment the only sound she could hear was her own heels echoing on the school floors.<p>

"Haru-chan! Haru-chan!"

The teacher stopped in her tracks, the sudden call almost making her jump. It sounded like it had come from around the corner. She was right, there was one child on his own, he was wearing the Elementary uniform so he was definitely one of the more younger children, she guessed that he must be new since he was so small. He appeared to be looking for someone, but why he was looking for somebody in one of the bins was beyond her though. She walked towards him quickly but carefully, making sure she didn't make him jump and start crying.

"Are you okay? Are you looking for something? Or someone?"

Makoto turned to the source of the gentle voice, it sounded almost like his mothers. _She's tall, she must be a teacher so she'll know where Haru-chan is._

"Yes. I'm looking for Haru-chan, have you seen him?"

"I'm not sure who you're talking about? What does he look like."

"He has black hair, and bright blue eyes. He's starting school today, just like me. But he's really nervous, his mama said that he is shy so I wanted us to stick together so he wouldn't be scared, a boy came and we fell over and then I lost Haru-chan. I've been looking everywhere for him."

_You were looking everywhere alright._ "I'm sure he hasn't gone far, you should go to your class now though. Don't worry, I'll look for Haru-chan for you. Do you know what class you two are in yet?" Makoto shook his head, he had been so worried about looking for Haruka that he had forgotten to find out. "Okay that's not a problem, what's your name and I'll take a look for you."

"My name is Tachibana Makoto."

"And do you the full name of this 'Haru-chan'?" Makoto shook his head again, making a 'nuh-uh' sound in the back of his throat.

"Okay then Makoto, my name is Miss Himura. If you would like to follow me please." She walked with Makoto back to the lists kept by the main doors. They had to walk through several corridors and Makoto hadn't even realised he had travelled so far. Scanning the list quickly she spotted the boy's name "It looks like you are in Class C, if you look down there where the door says 1C, that will be your classroom for this year. If you'd like to make your way down there and I'll keep looking for your friend and make sure he finds his class."

"Okay, thank you!" Although Makoto wanted to continue looking for Haruka himself, he had a feeling she would have more luck than he did. _I hope she finds him soon. And I hope he's okay._

* * *

><p>Three pages. Haruka had only been in school for about ten minutes and he already managed to fill three pages in his sketchbook, at this rate he going to need a new one by the end of the week. The pictures weren't anything special, mainly pictures of the stray cats that came by his house and flowers that his mother liked, but he needed something to do whilst everyone else was rushing around. Good thing that none of the boys decided they wanted to use the toilets, otherwise they might have been surprised to see a six year old in the corner with crayons scattered around him. There was hardly any noise coming from the other side of the door, therefore Haruka decided it was be okay to leave now. He stuffed everything back into his bag and peered through the door.<p>

The sound of the door creaking open was quiet, but still noticeable. Miss Himura turned to the door, wondering if she would find the boy she was looking for. She was met with a pair of sparkling blue eyes that looked apprehensive, but curious at the unfamiliar woman. Suddenly it clicked.

_"He has black hair and bright blue eyes...his mama said that he is shy, so I wanted us to stick together..."_

_So this must be the Haru-chan who Makoto was referring to,_ Miss Himura thought. _He's definitely shy, he's still half-hiding behind the door._

"I've been looking for you. Your friend said you had gotten lost."

_Friend? Is she talking about Makoto?_ Haruka blinked a couple of times, but other than that he didn't move from his spot.

"You must be Haru-chan. You don't need to be shy, I don't bite. My name is Miss Himura, come on, I'll help you find your classroom. What's your name?" He opened his mouth slightly and mumbled something, but it was too quiet she couldn't hear what he had said. "I'm sorry I couldn't quite hear you. Can you tell me again please, but just a little louder?" Haruka did just that, but it wasn't much louder, she thought she could pick up a 'nase' but it didn't help much. "I'm sorry, I still can't hear you." She sighed gently, wondering how else to go about this until Haruka started rummaging through his school bag. He pulled out one of his pencils and started writing his name in his sketchbook. His handwriting was really neat for a six year old, which ended up being really helpful.

"Okay Haruka, let's see what class you're in."

* * *

><p>"Your name is Makoto? That's a nice name."<p>

"Thanks, what's your name."

"I'm Mariko."

"I like that. Can I call you Mari-chan?"

"Uh-huh!"

Makoto being late in meant he was left to choose between only 2 seats, one of them located in the middle row by the window, the other was in the centre at the front. Makoto had chose the centre seat and it hadn't taken long for him to make friends with some of his classmates. The kids had started talking to those who they were sat next to, Makoto was sat next to Mariko and another girl called Akane, who was preoccupied talking to other kids nearby. Mariko's hair was a pale yellow, which reminded him of the butter his mother used when she would bake cakes for him, she also had blue eyes, which reminded him of somebody else. _I hope Haru-chan found his classroom okay and I hope he makes lots of friends,_ thought Makoto. He promised himself that when they get to have free time, he will look for Haruka.

"Now, now settle down everyone." The chattering gradually went quieter and quieter until it stopped completely. "It's very nice to see so many lovely faces today. My name is Miss Fujioka and I will be your teacher for this year. I'll look forward to working with you all."

Mariko poked Makoto gently in the arm "She's nice." she whispered.

"She is. I like her." Makoto whispered back. Miss Fujioka carried on with her introduction until there was a knock on the classroom door.

"Come in. Oh good morning Miss Himura. Is everything okay?"

"Yes, I'm sorry to disturb you. One of your students had gotten himself lost and wasn't sure what class he's in. I wanted to make sure he arrived safe and sou-"

"Haru-chan!"

Makoto cheered, gaining attention from both the teachers and children in the room, one of them more surprised than the others. Blue eyes widened, reunited with soft green ones, Makoto's mouth curved into a cheesy and childish grin, the two boys sharing a mutual thought.

_We're in the same class!_


End file.
